Partial
08-28-2007, 11:06 PM
Titans game key for backup safety
BOB MCGINN
onsigned to fourth-string safety through the first three weeks of the Green Bay Packers' training camp, Charlie Peprah's chances of making the team were somewhere between slim and none.
But after a dynamic last 10 days in practice and praise from coach Mike McCarthy, Peprah has thrust himself into solid contention for one of the four berths at the position.
On Monday, McCarthy identified Peprah as a player who had caught his attention. Perhaps as a result, McCarthy announced Tuesday that Marquand Manuel probably wouldn't even play Thursday in Tennessee.
"I know where we are with (Manuel)," McCarthy said. "I haven't done a good enough job of getting the younger guys reps, particularly in the first half. That's what we're trying to accomplish."
Atari Bigby and Nick Collins will start, and McCarthy wants to see Bigby play the entire first half before officially declaring him the regular-season starter. Rookie Aaron Rouse (hamstring) won't play, leaving Peprah, Tyrone Culver and long shot Alvin Nnabuife to finish up.
"It's pretty much going to come down to me," Peprah said. "How I perform is really going to dictate what my future is. I'm just going to leave it all out on the field."
For three weeks, it was Collins and Manuel starting, Bigby and Marviel Underwood No. 2, Rouse and Culver No. 3 and Peprah and Nnabuife No. 4. Underwood was cut Aug. 21, moving Peprah up a notch.
Peprah, 5 feet 11 inches and 204 pounds, played in the third quarter against Pittsburgh but not until the fourth against Seattle.
Last week against Jacksonville, Culver was beaten for a 25-yard touchdown pass. In a race this tight, it might have been a costly error.
Meanwhile, the ball skills and awareness that led the Packers to claim Peprah on waivers from the New York Giants on Sept. 3 began to surface. A fifth-round draft choice from Alabama in 2006, Peprah has been moving much more decisively and making big plays on the ball.
"It's kind of like being trapped behind a glass wall and no one can see you," Peprah said. "I've got to show the coaches that I can play and make plays. I feel like I haven't been doing that to my ability."
Rouse hasn't done much in camp but his $649,500 signing bonus probably means he's safe. The fourth and final job will go to Manuel, Peprah or Culver, the No. 3 safety last season as a rookie.
If Collins or Bigby is injured, and given Rouse's inexperience, the No. 4 safety could be the next man in.
"It could play out so many ways," Peprah said. "I just know I'm in the mix and I need to take advantage of my opportunity."
On the mend
Running back Brandon Jackson, who suffered a mild concussion Sunday, was back observing practice Tuesday and said he anticipated being ready for the opener in 11 days.
"I feel like I'm ready," Jackson said. "It's totally up to them whether they feel I'm ready to go out there."
Jackson has undergone a test each morning since suffering the first concussion of his career.
"I take it and they tell me if I'm ready or not," he said. "Colors. Green, red, blue. That and just reactions. Left, right. Then just remembering things. They said it's getting better."
The results are compared to scans taken of Jackson earlier in the year under a league-mandated program designed for improved player safety and medical decision-making.
"It's good to have things like that to let you know where you are mentally," he said.
Rookie regular
Korey Hall, a sixth-round pick from Boise State, has won the fullback job.
"(Hall) has established himself as the starter," McCarthy said. "I thought Brandon (Miree) did a lot of good things last year but because of his injuries he hasn't returned to that form. I'm hoping Brandon will be physically able to go through this game."
Miree missed 13 practices and two exhibition games with a stinger. If rookie free agent Corey White proves able to play fullback, Miree would be expendable.
Also, McCarthy said quarterback Brett Favre would play two and possibly three series in Tennessee. He had considered not using him at all.
Will return
Will Blackmon will return the first punt in Tennessee despite a broken left thumb, according to McCarthy.
"It was diagnosed as a Bennett's fracture," McCarthy said. "Some people mistake it for a sprain. He's caught the ball. It's pretty thin. I was told not to be concerned about it."
A Bennett's Fracture Dislocation is a break that occurs at the base of the thumb. If not treated properly, the thumb joint can become arthritic and stiff, reducing one's ability to grip.
Blackmon has been practicing with a plaster splint protecting his thumb. On Monday, special-teams coach Mike Stock expressed concern about a player fielding punts without full use of his hands.
Injury list
Defensive end Mike Montgomery has a bad right knee but still expects to return in about three more weeks.
Montgomery suffered medial collateral ligament damage and what he thought was cartilage damage against Seattle. It was the same knee in which he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in high school and both MCL and posterior cruciate ligament damage last December.
Out of the Tennessee game are wide receivers Donald Driver (foot) and Shaun Bodiford (knee), tackle Tony Moll (stinger), guards Jason Spitz (calf) and Tony Palmer (hamstring), running backs Vernand Morency (knee) and Jackson, defensive ends Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (knee) and Montgomery, linebackers Spencer Havner (back) and (knee), and Rouse.
BOB MCGINN
onsigned to fourth-string safety through the first three weeks of the Green Bay Packers' training camp, Charlie Peprah's chances of making the team were somewhere between slim and none.
But after a dynamic last 10 days in practice and praise from coach Mike McCarthy, Peprah has thrust himself into solid contention for one of the four berths at the position.
On Monday, McCarthy identified Peprah as a player who had caught his attention. Perhaps as a result, McCarthy announced Tuesday that Marquand Manuel probably wouldn't even play Thursday in Tennessee.
"I know where we are with (Manuel)," McCarthy said. "I haven't done a good enough job of getting the younger guys reps, particularly in the first half. That's what we're trying to accomplish."
Atari Bigby and Nick Collins will start, and McCarthy wants to see Bigby play the entire first half before officially declaring him the regular-season starter. Rookie Aaron Rouse (hamstring) won't play, leaving Peprah, Tyrone Culver and long shot Alvin Nnabuife to finish up.
"It's pretty much going to come down to me," Peprah said. "How I perform is really going to dictate what my future is. I'm just going to leave it all out on the field."
For three weeks, it was Collins and Manuel starting, Bigby and Marviel Underwood No. 2, Rouse and Culver No. 3 and Peprah and Nnabuife No. 4. Underwood was cut Aug. 21, moving Peprah up a notch.
Peprah, 5 feet 11 inches and 204 pounds, played in the third quarter against Pittsburgh but not until the fourth against Seattle.
Last week against Jacksonville, Culver was beaten for a 25-yard touchdown pass. In a race this tight, it might have been a costly error.
Meanwhile, the ball skills and awareness that led the Packers to claim Peprah on waivers from the New York Giants on Sept. 3 began to surface. A fifth-round draft choice from Alabama in 2006, Peprah has been moving much more decisively and making big plays on the ball.
"It's kind of like being trapped behind a glass wall and no one can see you," Peprah said. "I've got to show the coaches that I can play and make plays. I feel like I haven't been doing that to my ability."
Rouse hasn't done much in camp but his $649,500 signing bonus probably means he's safe. The fourth and final job will go to Manuel, Peprah or Culver, the No. 3 safety last season as a rookie.
If Collins or Bigby is injured, and given Rouse's inexperience, the No. 4 safety could be the next man in.
"It could play out so many ways," Peprah said. "I just know I'm in the mix and I need to take advantage of my opportunity."
On the mend
Running back Brandon Jackson, who suffered a mild concussion Sunday, was back observing practice Tuesday and said he anticipated being ready for the opener in 11 days.
"I feel like I'm ready," Jackson said. "It's totally up to them whether they feel I'm ready to go out there."
Jackson has undergone a test each morning since suffering the first concussion of his career.
"I take it and they tell me if I'm ready or not," he said. "Colors. Green, red, blue. That and just reactions. Left, right. Then just remembering things. They said it's getting better."
The results are compared to scans taken of Jackson earlier in the year under a league-mandated program designed for improved player safety and medical decision-making.
"It's good to have things like that to let you know where you are mentally," he said.
Rookie regular
Korey Hall, a sixth-round pick from Boise State, has won the fullback job.
"(Hall) has established himself as the starter," McCarthy said. "I thought Brandon (Miree) did a lot of good things last year but because of his injuries he hasn't returned to that form. I'm hoping Brandon will be physically able to go through this game."
Miree missed 13 practices and two exhibition games with a stinger. If rookie free agent Corey White proves able to play fullback, Miree would be expendable.
Also, McCarthy said quarterback Brett Favre would play two and possibly three series in Tennessee. He had considered not using him at all.
Will return
Will Blackmon will return the first punt in Tennessee despite a broken left thumb, according to McCarthy.
"It was diagnosed as a Bennett's fracture," McCarthy said. "Some people mistake it for a sprain. He's caught the ball. It's pretty thin. I was told not to be concerned about it."
A Bennett's Fracture Dislocation is a break that occurs at the base of the thumb. If not treated properly, the thumb joint can become arthritic and stiff, reducing one's ability to grip.
Blackmon has been practicing with a plaster splint protecting his thumb. On Monday, special-teams coach Mike Stock expressed concern about a player fielding punts without full use of his hands.
Injury list
Defensive end Mike Montgomery has a bad right knee but still expects to return in about three more weeks.
Montgomery suffered medial collateral ligament damage and what he thought was cartilage damage against Seattle. It was the same knee in which he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in high school and both MCL and posterior cruciate ligament damage last December.
Out of the Tennessee game are wide receivers Donald Driver (foot) and Shaun Bodiford (knee), tackle Tony Moll (stinger), guards Jason Spitz (calf) and Tony Palmer (hamstring), running backs Vernand Morency (knee) and Jackson, defensive ends Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (knee) and Montgomery, linebackers Spencer Havner (back) and (knee), and Rouse.